Bridgestone has renewed its support for Sporting Bears Motor Club by sponsoring the Golden Dream Rides competition, linking children’s charity fundraising with public tyre-safety engagement at UK motoring events. The partnership, which began in 2023, gives the tyre manufacturer a consumer-facing platform to promote simple tyre checks while supporting the club’s fundraising work.
Sporting Bears Dream Rides give passengers the chance to ride in classic, sports and supercars in return for a donation. The club says its members provide the cars, volunteer their time and cover their own expenses, allowing donations to go directly to its chosen charities.
The Golden Dream Rides competition invites people who have engaged with Sporting Bears to share a photograph of a favourite Sporting Bears moment through official social media channels. Monthly winners receive a Golden Dream Ride voucher, redeemable against an available Dream Ride car at Sporting Bears events across the UK.
Bridgestone’s support covers the running cost of the competition and contributes directly to charities supported by the club. The current campaign follows Sporting Bears’ announcement at the Practical Classics Restoration Show at the NEC in Birmingham that it has passed £4 million in fundraising since its formation in 1989. The club has delivered more than 85,000 Dream Rides and supported more than 400 children’s charities.
The commercial value for Bridgestone is clear, but the editorial relevance sits in how the partnership extends tyre-safety messaging into enthusiast and family motoring audiences. Sporting Bears attends major shows including NEC classic car events, CarFest and The British Motor Show, alongside more than 60 other events during the season.
Bridgestone says volunteers will support its “Be a Bridgestone Road Safety Hero” campaign by speaking to the public about basic tyre-safety checks. That builds on recent Tyre News coverage of Bridgestone’s British Motor Show tyre safety activity, where Bridgestone and Kwik Fit carried out 248 free tyre checks and found more than 20% raised safety concerns.
The focus also aligns with wider industry concern around tyre neglect. Tyre News recently reported that NTDA TyreCheck 2025 found almost four in ten UK vehicles on unsafe tyres, based on checks of more than 58,000 vehicles across 141 locations.
Clare Stephens, PR and Social Media Lead for Sporting Bears, said the Dream Rides programme creates memorable experiences while raising funds for children’s charities. She added that Bridgestone’s support helps cover the cost of the competition, ensuring more money reaches the charities the club supports.
Helen Roe, Senior Marketing Manager at Bridgestone, said the company was proud to support Sporting Bears and the Golden Dream Rides concept. She said the initiative brings together enthusiasm for cars with community fundraising, while creating an opportunity to share tyre-safety advice.
For tyre retailers, fitters and safety partners, the story shows how manufacturers are increasingly using public-facing partnerships to reinforce road-safety messages outside traditional trade channels. Tyre News has also reported on Bridgestone’s autumn tyre safety campaign, which linked consumer rewards with National Tyre Safety Month activity.
Tagged with: Bridgestone UK, Sporting Bears Motor Club, Golden Dream Rides, tyre safety, road safety, children’s charities, charity motoring events, tyre checks, Dream Rides, UK motoring events
Disclaimer: This content may include forward-looking statements. Views expressed are not verified or endorsed by Tyre News Media.
.png)
.png)